DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

At its essence, "We Were Meant To" is a love letter to my younger self and to the youth of today. The message is simple. In a world where the idea of just breathing while black is seen as a rebellious act and the news continues to comment on our quiet extermination, I offer to every black boy and girl around the world this:

You are enough. You’re not bound by your circumstances. It’s your God-given right to live out your potential and pursue your wildest dreams.  

This story came to me when I began to ask myself what I can offer my community in these current times we’re facing. Our history is steep in trauma and we’ve depicted that truth quite well on film. It dawned on me that just telling the truth wasn’t enough. I needed to offer something else, something more than truth. I didn’t just want to be right; I wanted to be empowering. I wanted to advocate for belief in oneself and therefore a push towards self-liberation from some of the systemic racism we’re faced with today.  

With this film, I want to explore the theme of systemic oppression. I believe that once you free yourself from the oppression of the mind, you can begin to withstand almost any physical oppressive force acting upon you. Akil’s world and journey is a rich metaphor of this belief. The wings that he is born with are a metaphor for the great potential I believe that we as a people possess and the fear it elicits in other people, who may not have that same ability and wish to control ours.

Dim your light for no one. Shine bright, take flight.

Director, Tari Wariebi